Who does quality amp mods at reasonable prices???

[clay49]

Hey guys,

Can you all give me some names/links of guys who do good amp mods at reasonable prices? I know of Fargen, Voodoo, Blankeship, etc. I see mods that range from $300-$900 and I don't see a whole lot of difference on their "mod" list fromt the $300 mod to the $900 mod. Just want to make sure I'm getting my money's worth if and when I pull the trigger on getting one of my mass-produced amps (non-hand-wired, import tanny) modded.

Thanks!

[Mudder]

It depends what mods you want to do, and what amp you're modding.

[clay49]

Originally Posted by Mudder

It depends what mods you want to do, and what amp you're modding.

What I'm thinking about modding is a Bugera 1990 head...making tone controls more responsive, the gain stage a little tighter, upgrade trannys, caps...you know, make it an amp that will last longer and sound fuller.

(PS...no "just buy a better amp to start with" comments, please...I like the amp...sounded better than most I played that cost 3-4 times what I paid for this one).

[Mudder]

Well, that's pretty extensive, and trannys that are any good aren't cheap. The 1990 is like a JCM900? I'd check out Trace at voodoo amps, Jerry at JFA Mods, and maybe Mike Fortin.

[clay49]

Thanks, Mudder...I'll chase these down.

[diagrammatiks]

If you have the schematic any good amp tech should be able to to do it. However, and this is just personal experience...there aren't a lot of techs willing to do anything extensive with a Bugera.

[guitarded_1]

Add up the cost of a Bugera, plus the cost of a mod, plus the cost of shipping, and I'll guarantee that you can find a better made "sleeper" amp that will meet your tonal needs. Hell, a Traynor YBA-1 or YBA-1A is a kick ass hand wired amp that sound great as is, but can easily be tweaked to make your ears happy - and its affordable. Fender Bassman as well. There are MANY others. IMHO, doing extensive work on a Bugera is a poor choice...just being honest.

[clay49]

Originally Posted by guitarded_1

Add up the cost of a Bugera, plus the cost of a mod, plus the cost of shipping, and I'll guarantee that you can find a better made "sleeper" amp that will meet your tonal needs. Hell, a Traynor YBA-1 or YBA-1A is a kick ass hand wired amp that sound great as is, but can easily be tweaked to make your ears happy - and its affordable. Fender Bassman as well. There are MANY others. IMHO, doing extensive work on a Bugera is a poor choice...just being honest.

Tried multiple Traynors...didn't care for any of them. In fact, the Bugera has more of the "southern rock" vibe I'm looking for (more so than any of the Traynor's I found), so it already sounds better to my ears than the YBA. I'm certainly not planning on dumping 1K into it, just seeing if some basic mods will address a few of the issues I've mentioned...but I do appreciate your honest response!

[Blue Strat]

I highly recommend dealing with someone who has a track record of working on the particular amps you have (the first time doing ANYTHING takes longer and you'll pay in labor) and demo the mods. You can use 100 tonal adjectives, none of which are ubiquitous, and still not get what you wanted.

If you can't audition the mod you're asking for trouble.

Working on printed circuit board amps is usually more time consuming than working on hand wired amps. Be prepared to pay a living a wage to whoever does the work.

YMMV.

[diagrammatiks]

that board isn't particularly ez to work on.
fja charges a bunch for a transformer swap. Granted trannies are expensive but it's almost the cost of the whole amp.

[Kitarist]

Just try to do it yourself. Amp modding is not a rocket science. Those guys that make mods and charge more than 100 bucks for work are just hype nothing else.

[Blue Strat]

Originally Posted by Kitarist

Just try to do it yourself. Amp modding is not a rocket science. Those guys that make mods and charge more than 100 bucks for work are just hype nothing else.

Yeah, so are the guys who have to fix the do it yourself mods...costing you twice as much as the mods would have cost.

[clay49]

Originally Posted by Kitarist

Just try to do it yourself. Amp modding is not a rocket science. Those guys that make mods and charge more than 100 bucks for work are just hype nothing else.

I'm afraid that I'm not quite that adventurous at this stage of the game...I'm just now comfortable switching out pickups, pots, and switches on my guitars...I still won't touch the truss rod!!!

[kaseri]

Don't throw your money away. If you're not getting what you want out of your amp you need to buy a new amp, plain and simple.

[DannyG]

Second Mudder. Trace at Voodoo can help you.